Ratchet and Clank: The Revenge of Dr Nefarious
by LiquidPhazon
Summary: After his defeat and his plans to control the Great Clock ruined by Ratchet, Dr. Nefarious has come back with a plan that will not only be the biggest threat to the Solana Galaxy, but will also push friendships and create rifts between them.
1. Return of Dr Nefarious

Peace had once again been restored to the galaxy, thanks to the heroes, Ratchet and Clank, who had not only defeated Dr. Nefarious, but had also managed to stop his maniacal plan to rewrite time with the Great Clock so every villain could redo their mistakes with no hero beating them.

Though his plan and body were both ruined and thought to be gone forever, Lawrence had retrieved his employer's malfunctioning remains seconds before he his ship exploded.

Dr. Nefarious was soon to return and with a plan more evil than anything he had done before.

Currently, within one of the many secret lairs scattered upon the countless planets Dr. Nefarious had scattered across the galaxies, Lawrence, who had spent ages rummaging through scrap and discarded robot parts, had just finished with the final touches on his boss.

"There we go." Lawrence said as he attached Dr. Nefarious' head back onto his body, before he said. "Now to boot you up."

With that, Lawrence, turned Dr. Nefarious around, lifted his right leg back and kicked his boss's butt, causing his eyes to glow red as he jumped forward and yelped.

"Lawrence?" Dr. Nefarious questioned, before demanding. "What's going on? What happened?"

"We lost, sir." Lawrence replied.

"No! Not again! Not again! Not again!" Dr. Nefarious screamed out in frustration, slamming his fists repetitively on a nearby metal table, before he turned to Lawrence and asked. "And do you know whose fault this is?"

"Captain Quark?" Lawrence guessed.

"No." Dr. Nefarious replied, before saying. "I've come to realize now that there's somebody else."

Curiously, Lawrence asked. "And who might that be, sir?"

"Ratcheee..!" Dr. Nefarious began to yell, only for his face and body to freeze up, the gears in his head to jam and an episode of Lance and Janice began to play through his damaged head, surprising Lawrence, not that Dr. Nefarious was malfunctioning, but from the name it was that triggered it.

"Can't you see Janice, we are meant to be together?" Lance asked.

"We are, Lance. We are together. Forever together within the bowels of this King Amoeboid." Janice said in reply.

"That's not exactly what I meant." Lance replied.

As the dialogue and theme music of Lance and Janice played in the background, Lawrence thought out loud, walking up to his boss. "Hmm, it seems I 'forgot' to fix that little head problem you have. Not to worry, sir, I can fix it."

With that said, Lawrence smacked Dr. Nefarious across the face, snapping him out of his stupor and to finish yelling. "eeetttt!"

"That Lombax has been a surging pain in my gears ever since we met. He makes Quark look like a wannabe hero dressed in a pair of pyjamas." Dr. Nefarious stated.

"Begging your pardon, sir. But didn't that 'wannabe hero' defeat you too?" Lawrence asked, before adding. "Three times if I remember correctly."

"So what? Quark only stopped a mere Amoeboid army and my robotic servants. I heard Ratchet on the other hand did the same while in Blackwater City, searching for a way to stop Chairman Drek and his evil plans." Dr. Nefarious replied.

"Chairman Drek?" Lawrence asked, before thinking out loud. "That name rings a bell."

"Focus Lawrence. Drek doesn't matter." Dr. Nefarious replied, interrupting Lawrence, as he then said. "The point is even with my mighty robotic genius, Ratchet took down everything I could throw at him. Both of my Biobliterators, Clunk, not to mention every single minion I ever had, making him the bigger and more annoying hero than any nemesis I have known!"

"And I take it you have a plan to deal with this problem, sir?" Lawrence asked.

"I do. While my body was out of commission, I came up with a plan of ultimate evil. One that will usher in the liberation of robots and the termination of all squishies!" Dr. Nefarious stated maniacally as he clenched his fist into the air. "And not even Ratchet will be able to stop me!"

"Come Lawrence, we have work to do." Dr. Nefarious commanded, evil filled his glaring red eyes, only for him to then say, ruining the moment. "But first, there are a few knots in my neck. I think I need a massage."

"Oh, goodie." Lawrence replied acidulously as he followed the mad doctor who, just by looking at him, could tell another that another threat to the galaxies was soon to be created.


	2. The Doctor's Plan

-Several hours later-

Boarding the Starship Phoenix was none other than the heroic Lombax, Ratchet, who was just dressed in a pair of brown coloured gloves and a pair of pine green jeans, the same clothing he wore before and during his first adventure with Clank, stepped out of his ship and then made his way to the bridge to see Clank behind the controls of the Starship Phoenix.

"Welcome back, Ratchet." Clank greeted upon seeing Ratchet, before asking. "How was your trip Megacorp?"

"Pretty good. Fizzwidget is still making some pretty sweet Gadgets, including a fully functional Megacorp brand Personal Hygenator. And Angella has become the head of the genetics division." Ratchet replied.

Clank smiled, hearing that their friends were both great and continuing to make Megacorp proud.

But before he could say a word, the screen displayed before them suddenly flashed on, revealing Metropolis and Sasha Phyronix, who had a great look of concern on her face.

"Ratchet, thank goodness I managed to get into contact with you." She said, making Ratchet ask, worried for her. "Sasha? What's going on?"

"It's Nefarious, he's back and has taken over most of the area with a new fleet of robot troopers." Sasha replied, shocking Ratchet and Clank to hear Dr. Nefarious had returned.

But their shock increased when the doors to Sasha's office were blasted open, in which several of Dr. Nefarious' Soldier Bots then emerged from the blast, before the shock of Ratchet and Clank increased when the blast died down and Dr. Nefarious entered the room, his arms behind his back and a wicked smile on his face.

"Ah, Ratchet and Clank, so good to see you again." He mocked.

"Nefarious!" Ratchet yelled upon seeing the robotic super villain again, who just smirked as he faced the monitor, before the Lombax then demanded. "What are you planning this time?"

"Patience. All shall be revealed very soon." Dr. Nefarious replied, before the screen displayed Sasha in the corner of her office, while two Soldier Bots had their guns aimed at Sasha and holding her hostage.

"Let Sasha go!" Ratchet yelled out, which just made Dr. Nefarious smirk.

"If you want to see your girlfriend again, come to Metropolis and face me." Dr. Nefarious replied, further mocking Ratchet.

"Failure to do so will result in her destruction!" He then laughed wickedly, before the screen turned to static, making Ratchet growl.

"Clank, get ready. We're going to Metropolis." Ratchet told Clank in a serious tone, making Clank nod in reply.

And while both knew it was a trap, the pair were determined to save Sasha and stop Dr. Nefarious, in which Ratchet and Clank boarded back upon the Aphelion and headed for Metropolis.

-Sometime later-

Landing the Aphelion just outside the Mayor's office, Ratchet and Clank jumped out, taking a moment to observe the damage Dr. Nefarious and his henchmen had caused.

Scattered throughout the area, which now looked like the front of a warzone, were many Galactic Rangers, all of who had been blasted to pieces or had been heavily damaged.

"If only we had gotten here sooner." Clank said solemnly, saddened to see many of their allies destroyed.

"Don't worry Clank. I'm sure Sasha can hire the best robotics engineer in Metropolis to fix them up." Ratchet replied in a reassuring tone, before his tone got serious as he looked forward, facing the Mayor's office.

"But first, we have a score to settle with Nefarious." He said, making Clank nod in reply, before the duo headed for the Mayor's office, ready to take on whatever was inside.

Smashing through the door, Ratchet and Clank expecting a whole armada of robots to be inside, all armed and ready to fight them, but to their confusion, the room, excluding several more damaged Galactic Rangers, was empty; while at the other end of the hall was the Mayor's office, which caused the Lombax's confusion to turn to concern, as he could see Sasha, lying unconscious on the floor, while Dr. Nefarious was standing over her.

"Sasha!" Ratchet called out, rushing over as he entered the room, while Clank followed.

However, the second he did, a forcefield shot down, causing Ratchet to turn around to see he and Clank were cut away from each other, making Clank call out. "Ratchet!"

"Clank!" Ratchet called back, before asking in a confused tone. "What's going on?"

"Isn't obvious?" Both heard Sasha say, making them turn around to see Sasha back on her feet, standing beside Dr. Nefarious, before Sasha's form then changed, revealing it to be Laurence, who had a Holo-Guise attached to his belt.

"This is all a trap! And you fell for it!" Dr. Nefarious laughed, making ratchet grit his teeth in annoyance and anger.

"You might have trapped me, but that doesn't mean I cannot fight!" The Lombax stated, withdrawing his OmniWrench.

"Actually it does." Dr. Nefarious replied, before holding out his right hand and showing he too was armed with a bomb, which he then threw at ratchet, causing the Lombax to smack at it in an attempt to deflect back.

However, the second it made contact with his OmniWrench, the bomb exploded open, before releasing a clear gas that made Ratchet feel dizzy and light headed, while feeling his energy being sapped away from him as he fell to his knees.

"Lombax snooze mist Bomb. The perfect weapon to take you out and begin my true plan." Dr. Nefarious replied, which made Ratchet groan out in a confused tone, while trying to resist the effects of the gas. "True plan?"

"You and the whole Galaxy will see soon enough. But until then..." Dr. Nefarious began to say, before Ratchet's vision blurred and he was unable to remain conscious.

"Nighty night hero." Dr. Nefarious said, picking up the unconscious Lombax by his neck, before laughing wickedly as he, Lawrence and Ratchet teleported away, causing Clank to call out in horror. "Ratchet!"

-After an unknown amount of time had passed, and in an unknown location-

Ratchet let out a groan as he slowly opened his eyes.

"Ugh, my head. What happened?" Ratchet groaned out groggily as he was about to get up, only to feel cold metal against his arms, legs and even his tail, causing the Lombax to open his eyes quickly in order to see he was strapped down upon a metal slab, dressed in black and dark blue coloured armour.

Black gloves adorned his arms, while boots of the same colour had been placed on his feet, as glowing red plates covered his upper arms and his legs.

And, lastly, a helmet covered his head, while his furry ears poked out of the helmet.

"What's going on!?" Ratchet questioned, looking around to see he was in what looked like a torture chamber, due to all the weaponry and the large laser above him.

The Lombax tried to break from the shackles, but stopped as a familiar voice of evil said. "Well look who's finally awake."

Ratchet looked down to see Dr. Nefarious and Lawrence approach him, in which he called out in demand. "Nefarious!? What are you up to now?"

"Nothing much. I just wanted you to have a good seat as I start my latest plan of ultimate evil!" Dr. Nefarious announced as he slammed his hands on the slab and got right in ratchet's face to yell, before he moved away and said wickedly. "You have no idea what I have planned for you."

"Let me guess, you activate that giant laser that sends a beam that travels at the pace of a Teratrope from the very bottom of this slab to my feet in a desperate way to frighten me before it slices me in half? Tell me Nefarious, do you get your ideas from old Secret Agent Clank episodes or just the good ones?" Ratchet teased.

"Ratcheee..!" Dr. Nefarious yelled, only to freeze up once again, confusing the captive Lombax as another episode of Lance and Janice began to play through Dr. Nefarious yet again.

"Oh, Lance. This feels so wrong but at the same time, so right." Janice claimed, to which Lance replied. "I know what you mean, Janice. Right and wrong, they just go together, like us."

"Oh, you are so wrong when you are right!" Janice said breathlessly.

"And I feel so right when you are wrong." Lance stated in reply.

"Actually that laser doesn't even work." Lawrence interrupted and then explained. "It's mainly to give the room a more full feel. You know, feng sui and whatnot?"

"Can't you see it, Janice? Without you my life is like a void, a black hole of loneliness. Please promise me you'll stay with me and never see my evil twin brother, Englebert." Lance said.

"I... I cannot." Janice replied.

"Why Janice?" Lance questioned.

"Because you are not Lance, you are Englebert." Janice stated.

"As much as I am enjoying the plot of this episode, I have to get back to work." Lawrence told Ratchet, before stating. "And this part is far more enjoyable than any Holo-Vision shows I know."

With that said, Lawrence smacked Dr. Nefarious in the back of the head.

"eeetttt!" Dr. Nefarious yelled, before continuing his plan of evil.

"You mock me now, but trust me Ratchet, what I have planned is going to make you wish that laser idea was what I had intended for you." Dr. Nefarious stated as he smiled evilly at the captive Lombax, before reaching behind him and then exclaimed as he turned around. "Behold!"

Ratchet looked in confusion as Dr. Nefarious held up a small robotic figure proudly in his right hand.

"You plan on taking revenge on me with a Galaxy Burger toy?" Ratchet questioned in a confused tone.

Hearing Ratchet's confused caused Dr. Nefarious to smirk, before he told him, holding it closer to Ratchet's face. "This is no toy I assure you. Look closer. Doesn't it look familiar?"

With a better look, Ratchet was stunned as what he thought was a toy collapsed into itself, transforming into an orb, and made the Lombax call out, shocked. "The Biobliterator!?

"But how? We destroyed it, twice!" Ratchet stated.

"You might've destroyed the machine but as long as its creator remains, it will never stay destroyed. And thanks to my genius I was able to create a portable version in a limited time and without detection from the Galactic Defence Force." Dr. Nefarious explained.

Say hello to the Biobliderator Portable Mode, or BPM for short, and say goodbye to your fur, squishie!" Dr. Nefarious exclaimed maniacally, holding the BPM directly at Ratchet, who struggled against his shackles, before the Lombax cried out as the BPM charged up and fired.

And as the light from the BPM's blast faded, the slab slowly rose up, revealing Ratchet's new appearance.

His fur had now turned metallic as a red visor lowered from the helmet, covering Ratchet's eyes as the shackles then unlocked and he stepped forward, making Dr. Nefarious smirk in victory.

"It worked Lawrence! I am a genius!" Dr. Nefarious called out joyfully.

"If you say so, sir." Lawrence replied, commenting on the true intelligence of his boss.

Too caught up in the moment, Dr. Nefarious focused on Ratchet and asked. "Ratchet, what is your purpose."

In response to the question, Ratchet replied, his voice sounding more robotic as he spoke. "Under the decree of Dr. Nefarious I must destroy all squishes and those who conspire with them or against Dr. Nefarious."

"This is brilliant! With the greatest hero of three galaxies and the countless weapons he has at my disposal, all shall bow before the name Dr. Nefarious! And nobody can stop me! Nobody" Dr. Nefarious exclaimed as he began to laugh evilly.


	3. Ratchet's Attack

With Dr. Nefarious, Lawrence and Ratchet gone, the forcefield dropped, causing Clank to rush into the room, dropping to his knees where Ratchet had fallen.

"Ratchet." Clank said sadly as a solemn expression appeared on his face.

However, Clank was then broken from his sadness towards his best friend when he heard muffled noises coming from behind a door in the corner of the room.

Approaching the door, but remaining cautious just in case it was another of Dr. Nefarious' traps, Clank slowly opened it, revealing it was a utility closet, which not only contained various cleaning supplies, but also a familiar face.

"Sasha?" Clank called out, surprised to see the real Mayor of Metropolis trapped inside, tied up and gagged.

Removing the cloth that covered her mouth, Sasha let out a gasp before she spoke.

"Clank? Thank goodness you arrived." She said, grateful, as Clank then untied her.

"Clank, if you're here, then I'm assuming Ratchet is here too. Listen, you both must be careful. Dr. Nefarious is planning..." Sasha began to say, only for Clank's expression to turn solemn once again as he looked away, making Sasha realize Dr. Nefarious must've gotten the Lombax hero.

"I'm sorry." She said, before she knelt down and placed her right hand on Clank's shoulder, making Clank look up at her, as she then told Clank in a reassuring tone. "But I promise we'll get Ratchet back. You have my word."

"Thank you Sasha. I know I can rely on you." He said, smiling, making Sasha smile back, before she stood up, took a seat behind her desk and turned on her computer, which then displayed the President of Marcadia.

"Sasha?" He asked. "What can I do for you?"

"Dad, I need your help. Dr. Nefarious is back and he abducted Ratchet." Sasha replied, before Clank, using is Heli-Pack to climb atop the desk, then added. "We have no idea what his plans towards Ratchet are, but with Dr. Nefarious you can guarantee they will be disastrous."

"Well if Agent Clank thinks this matter is a serious one, then you have my full support." President Phyronix told Clank and Sasha, making Clank smile and say in reply. "Thank you President Phyronix. I am most grateful for you and your daughter."

"No problem at all. It's the least we can do for you and all your heroics." President Phyronix stated, before he added. "And I can promise you that the best of the best will be hired to help in this endeavour. They should meet you both back aboard the Starship Phoenix."

Clank nodded in reply, before taking his leave.

And while Clank was heading back to the Starship Phoenix, Sasha remained in her office, removing herself from her seat, before staring out the window and into the sky.

"Hold on Ratchet. I'll find you." She thought aloud, determined to save the heroic Lombax.

-Back upon the Starship Phoenix-

After the Aphelion had boarded, Clank and Sasha made their way to the bridge.

But before entering, Clank had to ask. "Sasha, it has been weighing on me, but would you have any idea who your father would contact in order to help us?"

"I'm unsure. But I am confident whoever it is, they won't let us down." Sasha replied, just as the door to the bridge opened up and a familiar, strong, male voice then said. "You've got that right, your Mayorness."

"Captain Qwark?" Sasha asked, surprised. "You're the help my father requested?"

"Not just me. You have the entire Q-Force at your service." Qwark replied, moving aside to show that standing behind him was Big Al, Helga and Skrunch, who was back in his Q-Force uniform, before introducing the rest of the Q-Force team.

"Al. Half man, half machine, and all genius." Quark commented.

"Helga, beauty and the brawn of the Q-Force." Quark said, making Helga smile and give a small, gentle wave, before clenching her fist and causing the loud sound of her knuckles cracking from her grasp.

"And Skid, the master of stealth." Quark then introduced, pointing to an empty section of the bridge, before saying in an impressed tone. "He's so good, you could swear he's not even there."

"That's because he's not." Clank pointed out, causing Quark to look at Clank with a dumbfounded look, before looking at the empty space.

"Really?" He asked, waving his hand around where he thought Skid was, making Quark then question. "Then where is Skid?"

As if on cue, the small monitor inside Clank's chest compartment emerged, revealing Skid's face, which had a look of worry on it.

"Uh, hey guys. Sorry I'm running late, but something came up and I could really use some help." Skid said in a nervous tone of voice, before an explosion was heard in the distance, causing the picture on the monitor to become somewhat static, while Skid let out a shrill shriek.

"Skid, what is happening? Where are you?" Sasha questioned.

"Blackwater City, Mayor dude. And it is under major attack." Skid replied, before saying. "Please hurry, I don't know how long until he finds my super secret hiding spot."

Curious, Sasha then asked. "And who is HE? Is it Dr. Nefarious?"

"Far from it. It's actually..." Skid managed to get out, for the signal then died, causing the monitor to fade to black, before returning back into Clank's chest compartment.

After hearing what Skid said and seeing he was in danger, Clank stated. "We haven't a moment to lose. Skid needs us."

"I couldn't agree more, my metal friend." Qwark replied in a confident tone, only to then say. "But I think some of us should stay here, you know, to man the stations and just in case Skid arrives in our absence."

Clank was quiet for a few seconds, before he was about to question Qwark and his plan, but was interrupted as Qwark said. "So it's decided. I shall stay here. Clank, you board Ratchet's old ship and head to Blackwater City, along with any members of the Q who wish to join you on this life or death adventure."

Looking at Al and Helga, both gave hesitant looks at Clank, while rubbing the back of their heads and fidgeting.

"I would go, but my place is here on the ship, making sure it is working at full efficiency." Al said, before whispering to Clank, just before he left the bridge. "And to make sure Qwark doesn't try to remove jammed toast with his Pocket Crotchitizer again."

"And I have a tight schedule of fitness to stay on. I have booked the VR Deck for training, and exercise waits for no one." Helga told Clank, leaving the bridge as well.

Seeing he was going to Blackwater City alone, Clank turned around, about to leave.

But before that, Sasha called out. "Hold up Clank, you're not in this alone."

Turning around, Clank watched as Sasha made her way down to her terminal, where she began typing, causing the massive monitor before her and the others to switch on, showing a Galactic Ranger, who then asked. "You called, Captain Sasha?"

"Ranger, I want your best men to meet up with Clank at Blackwater City. Make sure nothing happens to him." She commanded.

"Understood." The Galactic Ranger replied with a salute, before the screen then turned off, to which Sasha turned back to face Clank.

"Thank you, Sasha." Clank said, grateful for her assistance.

"You're welcome." Sasha said in reply, before instructing. "Now get going. Make your way to Blackwater City, find Skid and see if this attack has any links to Ratchet's whereabouts."

"I am on it." Clank replied, heading out of the bridge and back to the Aphelion, to Blackwater City, hoping Skid and the unprovoked attack on the planet would bring him a step closer to finding out what Dr. Nefarious had done with his best friend.

-Sometime later-

Thanks to its speed, as well as Ratchet's expertise in mechanics, the Aphelion had arrived in Blackwater City in no time.

But as the ship landed down, Clank looked around and saw the area in ruin.

As he jumped out of the Aphelion and looked around, finding no sign of Skid or the Galactic Rangers, only destruction, before the small monitor inside Clank's chest compartment emerged once again, displaying Sasha's face.

"Clank. I see you made it successfully." She commented.

"I have. However, I see no sign of the Galactic Rangers or Skid." Clank replied.

"Somebody call my name?" They heard Skid's voice ask, causing Clank and the monitor to turn and face a bunch of trash cans, discarded garbage and a single cardboard box.

"Skid?" Clank asked, approaching the box, before lifting it and revealing the professional Hoverboarder hiding underneath it.

"Clank? Sasha? Man, am I glad to see you two dudes." Skid said in a tone full of relief.

"It's good to see you are unharmed." Clank said in reply, before having to ask. "But why were you hiding in a cardboard box."

"Well, as I was under fire by the enemy, I had to act fast and blend in with my surroundings." Skid explained.

"So you hid in a cardboard box?" Clank asked, finding that such a concept could be used to deceive enemies to be highly unlikely, let alone who would ever use such a method.

"Just until he let his guard down. Then I would have made my move." Skid replied as he stood up, dusting himself off.

"I remember you saying something about someone attacking you before our communications were cut. Just who is this that attacked you?" Sasha asked.

"It was Ratchet." Skid replied, his answer shocking Clank and Sasha.

"No. There must be some mistake." Sasha said in denial, making Skid say. "I wish it was. Even I don't believe it, and I saw it with my own eyes. That Lombax showed up, going on about destroying all squishes for Dr. Nefarious before he went all loco."

Concerned, Clank asked. "Where is Ratchet now?"

However, before Skid replied, all three heard the screams of Galactic Rangers, as well as explosions, making Skid comment. "I'd guess that way."

"Then let's hurry. It sounds like the Galactic Rangers need our help." Clank said.

"Uhh... you go on ahead. I'll stay behind as your backup." Skid replied, nervously.

Wasting no time, Clank rushed to the distressed cries of the Galactic Rangers, running past all the destruction.

But after turning a corner both he and Sasha were shocked at what they saw.

Scattered around another destroyed section of the city was an entire fleet of Galactic Rangers, which had been torn apart, shot to bits or blasted to pieces, while in the centre of the destroyed Galactic Ranger was Ratchet, who was dressed in black and dark blue coloured armour and showed no remorse as he ripped his OmniWrench out of the chest of another Galactic Ranger.

"Ratchet!" Clank called out, getting the Lombax's attention.

"Ratchet, what are you doing?" Clank questioned, confused as to why Ratchet had wiped out so many innocents, before noticing through the green visor a pair of glaring, red eyes.

"I'm following the orders of Dr. nefarious. I must destroy all squishes and those who conspire with them or against Dr. Nefarious." Ratchet replied, before he was about to withdraw another weapon and destroy his best friend.

However, Ratchet stopped when he heard a voice call out. "Hold it right there, Sarge!"

While Ratchet remained in place, Clank and Sasha looked around and saw that the elite force of Galactic Rangers that the female Cazar had assigned to protect Clank had shown up, and had circled the Lombax.

"Alright Sarge. There are two ways we can do this." One of the Galactic Rangers said, remaining alert as all aimed their arm-mounted Blasters and Nitro Launchers at the Lombax. "You can come with us peacefully and explain yourself, or we'll open fire and get the answers out of what's left of you."

Remaining on their guard, the Galactic Rangers watched as Ratchet slowly placed his Omniwrench away and moved down, it looked like he was surrendering, to which the Galactic Rangers all began to move in slowly.

However, once they were all close, Ratchet suddenly sprung up and lunged at them, striking at the Galactic Rangers like a vicious beast and knocking them all down, to which he then withdrew the Gelanator and his Swingshot, before he fired a cube of gelatonium, jumped onto it and then unleashed the wire within the Swingshot, which latched onto a green Versa-Target high above them, reeling him in and allowing the rouge Lombax to make his escape.

With Ratchet gone again and the damage he had caused, Clank was once again filled with sadness.

As was Sasha, who was just as confused and concerned as Clank, for she knew Ratchet was a kind hearted hero, and not one who would ever join forces with an evil like Dr. Nefarious.

Something was up.

However, both were interrupted when Skid approached and asked. "So... uh... think I could catch a ride with you guys?"


	4. Operation Lomax Liberation

After Clank and Skid had returned from Blackwater City, both were called to the bridge to talk about the attack on Blackwater City, where they, alongside Sasha, Big Al, Helga and Captain Qwark, who was sitting in the captain's seat with Skrunch, were in discussion with the President of Marcadia.

"This is Darla Gratch, reporting from Blackwater City where chaos and destruction has filled the streets. Just moments ago as professional Hoverboarder, Skid McMarx was awarding this year's winner of the HoverCon Intergalactic Hoverboard Competition, the game was put on a dramatic hold when Ratchet, known to billions as an intergalactic hero, suddenly unleashed an unprovoked attack against Blackwater City and its citizens in the name of Dr. Nefarious. The Galactic Rangers were called to put a stop to his rampage." Darla explained, as a clip of Ratchet attacking the Galactic Rangers appeared beside her.

The clip showed Ratchet striking down from the skies with the Scorpion Flail in his grasp; bring it down and striking back five Galactic Rangers, before turning around, revealing his right hand was encased in the Tesla Claw, which he then used to electrocute three more Rangers.

"C'mon Sarge. I don't want to hurt you." A Galactic Ranger then said nervously, as he aimed his arm-mounted Blaster at Ratchet.

But Ratchet just ignored the warning and threw an orb at the Galactic Ranger, who cowered, believing the item to be an explosive.

However, the orb then moved into the air and began to shine, revealing it was a Groovitron, causing the Galactic Ranger to dance uncontrollably as a rhythmic tone filled the area.

But as the Galactic Ranger was forced to dance, Ratchet slashed the Galactic Ranger in half with his OmniWrench, making him groan out as his torso collapsed. "And I didn't want you to hurt me."

"With little luck." Darla then commented.

"It is unclear as to why Ratchet has joined forces with Dr. Nefarious and turned to the side of darkness, but one thing is clear, with his seemingly endless arsenal of weapons, he may be impossible to stop. Darla Gratch, Channel 64 News."

With the report on Ratchet's attack finished, the screen faded to black, before showing the President of Marcadia, who had a look of woe on his face.

Speaking up for Ratchet, Sasha said. "Dad, you know that Ratchet would never attack the Galactic Rangers or help Dr. Nefarious. He's a hero."

"I know all that, but a matter as big as this is even out of my power. I'm afraid until the Q-Force finds evidence that Ratchet is forced against his will to carry out such attacks, he is now the biggest threat in the Solana Galaxy and the orders to the Galactic Rangers are to terminate on sight." The President of Marcadia replied in a tone most regretful.

"No!" Sasha cried out in response.

"I'm sorry Sasha, I truly am." Her father replied sadly, before the transmission ended, leaving Sasha, Clank and the others silent.

Breaking the silence, Skid spoke up.

"So, what now?" He asked his friends, unsure of what to do.

"I... I don't know..." Sasha got out.

"Well I do." Captain Qwark then said, standing proudly and making the others look at him.

"The Q-Force steps in. We find that troublemaker and take him to justice!" He said.

Hearing that, Clank questioned. "Captain Qwark, you cannot be serious. Do you actually think Ratchet would team up with Dr. Nefarious?"

"Well, I... uh..." Qwark got out nervously, as Clank crossed his arms and glared at him, making Qwark then say, holding his fingers closely to each other. "Maybe just a bit."

"Ratchet would never work with Dr. Nefarious, or turn his back on us. Somehow Dr. Nefarious must be manipulating Ratchet into performing such horrid actions." Clank stated, remembering the red glare he saw in Ratchet's eyes during their encounter back at Blackwater City.

"You might be onto something, Clank." Qwark replied, before thinking aloud. "But how do we find him?"

As Qwark sat back down, he accidently sat on the remote to the monitor, turning it back on.

Quickly pulling out the remote and aiming it at the monitor, Captain Qwark began pressing random buttons, trying to switch it off.

"Confounded gizmo. How do you work this thing?" He questioned, annoyed, switching from channel to channel as he continued to try and turn the monitor off.

"K-kwak mk-kwak mok! " Skrunch suddenly called out, pointing at the monitor, making Qwark stop to see what had gotten Skrunch riled up.

"Welcome back to Supervillain Weekly. For those who just joined us, we've talking to Dr. Nefarious on planet Magmos, the same planet where he became the maniacal super villain we have all come to love and fear." The announcer said, showing the scenery that included lava pits, armed guards, Dr. Nefarious' base of operations, as well as the mechanical mastermind and Lawrence.

"Dr. Nefarious it is great to see you once again, especially after you were defeated at the hands of Ratchet once again." The announcer said, making Dr. Nefarious scowl at the camera.

"But what makes you think your latest evil plan will allow you to prevail over him?" He then asked.

The question made Dr. Nefarious smirk, before he asked in reply. "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

With that said, the massive door behind Dr. Nefarious and Lawrence slid upward, revealing said Lombax, who walked up beside Dr. Nefarious, allowing Clank and the others to get a better look at Ratchet to see he was a robot.

"Thanks to my Biobliterator Portable Mode, or BPM for short, not only has it made this bothersome Lombax a fine machine like myself, but has turned him into my robotic servant." Dr. Nefarious explained as he held out the BPM in its sphere form.

"I have one of the greatest heroes of the Solana Galaxy under my complete control and there is nothing anybody can do to stop me!" He then stated, before laughing maniacally.

"Will Dr. Nefarious' plan work, or will he be subject to another humiliating defeat?" The announcer questions, which ticked Dr. Nefarious off and pushed him one step too far.

"I'll show you defeat. Ratchet, annihilate him!" Dr. Nefarious yelled out, making Ratchet lunge at the camera, causing the announcer to cry out.

The screen turned static momentarily, before showing a comical image of an Axe Bot that had its axe jammed in its chest and was missing its head, while searching for its head, it had 'Technical difficulties' written above.

"Now we know that Ratchet is being controlled. We must save him." Clank said, heading off.

However, he turned back to see the rest of the Q-Force staying in place.

"Sorry little bro, but you can count this dude out. Going to face Ratchet, Nefarious and his robot army is one seriously dangerous idea." Skid said, making Al and Helga nod in agreement with Skid.

"After everything Ratchet's done for you, you are just going to turn your backs on him? I know if it was you in his position, Ratchet wouldn't rest until he had saved you." Clank said, ashamed of their cowardice, before he turned away and told them. "If you won't come, then I guess I will go alone."

"You're not alone, Clank." Qwark said, getting everyone's attention. "Because the Q-Force sticks together and no man, or in this case, Lombax, gets left behind."

"Mk-kwak mok mk-kwak!" Skrunch added, which made Qwark smile and say in reply. "Couldn't have said it better myself."

Hearing the confident voice of Captain Qwark, Clank asked him. "So you will help me?"

"Fear not, my tiny companion. For when you were slouching around, watching mind numbing television, I devised a brilliant rescue plan. Introducing Operation Lomax Liberation." Captain Qwark said in reply, showing he was holding pieces of paper that had crude drawings on them in his left hand.

With his idea, Captain Qwark began to explain, showing his plan to save Ratchet on the monitor.

Starting off, Captain Qwark said, showing a drawing, to which the back of it had been coloured black, while several coloured dots were scattered across the page, with one red dot that had 'Magmos' and an arrow pointing at the red circle, showing they were planets. "Now that we know the location of Ratchet and Dr. Nefarious, we will head to his old lair on Planet Magmos."

"Once there, we will distract the antiaircraft cannons while Clank will descend down to the facility, make his way through the ventilation systems and turn off the security turrets." Qwark went on, to which he displayed an image of Qwark in his starfighter being shot at by red lines being fired from two cannons, while a crudely drawn Clank was slowly descending down thanks to his Heli-Pack, before moving onto the next image, showing Clank in the air ducts, standing beside a big red button, which had 'Off' written on it.

"With the air attacks over, we will rendezvous as one and fight our way through any preliminary defences he is sure to have guarding him." Qwark then said, showing the next stage of his plan, which was a drawing of him, Al, Skid and Helga inside Dr. Nefarious' base, shooting at stick figure robots.

"With Nefarious cornered, I will pummel him until he begs me to stop and gives me the BPM. And with the device safely in our hands, Al and Clank will use their combined intelligence to reverse the effects, return Ratchet to normal and thus freeing him from Dr. Nefarious' evil." Qwark finished, revealing the last to his plan, which displayed a drawing of him standing over Dr. Nefarious' knocked out form, while holding the BPM proudly in the air.

The next was Al and Clank firing energy at Ratchet, who was coloured gray and in the air, while zap lines were drawn around him, which was ended with a drawing of Ratchet back to normal, with his hands in the air and smiling.

After finishing his plan, all were behind Qwark, placing their faith in him and believing if anyone could save Ratchet, it was the man behind the Q.

"Very well." Sasha then said, before instructing. "Plot a course for Planet Magmos and commence with Operation Lomax Liberation."

-Moments later-

After the Starship Phoenix had made it, hovering above the surface of Magmos, just out of range of any security or defence systems, the Q-Force had taken two starfighters and had split into two teams, to which Qwark, Clank, Sasha, who was sitting in the passenger seat, and Clank, who was in the back and now carrying a briefcase were aboard the first starfighter, while Skid, Al and Helga were flying the second.

"Alright guys, once the mission starts there is no turning back, so if anyone needs to use the restroom, you had best say so right now." Qwark told both teams.

"Well now that you mention it..." Skid began to say, only for Qwark to then cut him off.

"Too late!" He said, before his ship shot off, to which Helga slammed on the acceleration and followed.

Shooting down from the Starship Phoenix and heading into Magmos' atmosphere, taking in the scenery of magma pits, volcano erupting, everyone saw a massive facility that was obviously the base of Dr. Nefarious.

But just as Qwark had warned, approaching the facility, several antiaircraft cannons emerged from the facility and began shooting at the starfighters, causing both starfighters to do their best to avoid both the shots and certain death.

As Qwark piloted the starfighter, he kept his eyes peeled for their best chance to shut the defences down.

"Over there!" Sasha then called out, seeing a ventilation system, making Qwark nod, before he flew as close to it as he could.

"You ready?" He asked Clank, who nodded in reply.

"Then let's commence Operation Lomax Liberation!" Qwark replied, pressing the eject button, which launched Clank out of the starfighter, before he began to plummet to the ground.

As Clank continued to fall, Clank then retracted his antenna, replacing it with his helicopter blade, activating his Heli-Pack and flying slowly into the air duct, and beginning the first part of their mission to rescue Ratchet.

After safely landing within the air ducts, Clank set down the briefcase and opened it, withdrawing the Banana-Guided Autonomous Monkey Device, followed by several bananas, which Clank then loaded into the gun, before the last object inside the briefcase emerged, Skrunch.

With the BGAMD loaded and Skrunch ready to assist Clank in shutting down the antiaircraft cannons, the pair began to make their way through the air ducts.

Traversing forward, Clank and Skrunch headed through the air ducts, looking through the various grates to see if they had arrived at the facility's control room, but only saw several rooms, which included one where some of Dr. Nefarious' Troopers were in a break room, relaxing, arm wrestling and playing cards, a room filled with a legion of inactive Protomantis troops and one that looked like a torture chamber, evident due to the weaponry around the room, as well as the giant laser cannon aimed at a metal slab.

But eventually, Clank was confident he had found the control room, however, there were several problems, which included it was on the opposite end of a massive magma pool, while Sentinel Bots, Scoutbots and a Ninja Bot were patrolling the area for intruders.

However, that wasn't going to stop him from saving his best friend.

The first obstacle Clank was faced with was the platform before him.

It was too far for him to jump and the switch to activate the bridge was on the other side.

But looking to his side, Clank could see a metal bar that connected from his side to the platform, giving him an idea.

Aiming the BGAMD, Clank fired a banana, which landed on the button and immediately caused Skrunch to go after it, climbing across the bar and to the other side, where the cycloptic monkey got the banana and activated the bridge in the process.

Crossing the bridge, Clank joined up with Skrunch, who had just finished eating the banana, including the peel, before the pair were suddenly ambushed by a group of Scoutbots.

While Clank began to fight off the Scoutbots trying to destroy him, Skrunch ran away as he was being chased by several Scoutbots, to which their eyes turned from green to red and began shocking Skrunch's backside, making the monkey yelp out as he continued to run in circles, trying to flee his robotic attackers.

After Clank had punched the Scoutbots to pieces and collecting the few Bolts that fell out of them, he then rushed over to assist Skrunch, destroying the Scoutbots that were electrocuting him.

With the Scoutbots destroyed, Clank and Skrunch advanced through the gauntlet, to which Clank then smashed two glass cases along the way, each containing a Gadge-Bot inside, which then followed Clank.

But then the four stopped when they came across the second challenge that prevented them form entering the control room, a corridor full of flamethrowers.

After commanding the Gadge-bots with the 'Wait' command, Clank stepped forward and prepared to face the flamethrowers.

Timing each move, step and jump to avoid being incinerated, Clank made his way through the onslaught of flames until he had reached the end, where the switch to turn the flamethrowers rested.

Standing on the button, the flames died down, allowing the Skrunch and Gadge-Bots to meet up with Clank, after he had mentally commanded the Gadge-Bots to 'Follow' him, and bringing them one step closer to the control room.

However, two Sentinel Bots and a Ninja Bot had it heavily guarded.

But it was nothing Clank couldn't handle.

Firing another Banana, it landed in the searchlight of one of the Sentinel Bot's, causing Skrunch to instinctively run after it, only to trigger the alarms of the Sentinel Bots, before they began blasting at the fleeing monkey.

As Skrunch was used as bait, drawing the Sentinel Bot's fire, Clank had found two more Gadge-Bots, which he freed, activating them and making all four await his orders.

Placing his hands on the sides of his head and focusing, the eyes of all four Gadge-bots turned red, for they had been set to 'Attack', causing the four to charge at the Ninja Bot and tear him to pieces.

With the Ninja Bot gone and the Sentinel Bots out of commission, who used up all their shots trying to hit Skrunch, Clank saw that just beyond a force field was the control room.

Giving the four Gadge-Bots their final command, 'Enter', they obeyed and entered a nearby door that was keeping the force field active, which then allowed Clank and Skrunch inside.

While Skunch just hung back, Clank approached the control room's computer and used his technological skills to override the turret's commands, causing them to cease firing at the starfighters and turn upon each other, allowing the Q-Force to safely land.


	5. Clash of Good and Nefarious

-Back outside Dr. Nefarious' base-

With the remainder of the Q-Force now safe, both starfighters landed before the entrance to the lair of Dr. Nefarious, before Qwark, Sasha and the others exited their ships, waiting for Clank and Skrunch's return.

Fortunately they didn't have to wait long, for a vent near the front doors then broke off and Clank and Skrunch emerged from it.

"Nice job, you two." Qwark commented in an impressed tone as he picked Skrunch up and let him rest on his shoulder.

"Thank you, Captain." Clank replied, before saying. "However, the defences inside the base are heavier than you anticipated. We must find a way to even the odds in our favour."

Unsure what to do, the Q-Force got their answer when a voice spoke up.

"Perhaps I can help."

Turning to the source of the voice, everyone saw a small shuttle that was hidden amongst a massive pile of scrap and discarded machine parts, while a pair of eyes looked at them from within.

Immediately recognizing both the voice, as well as the eyes in the shadows, Clank then asked. "Slim Cognito? What are you doing here?"

"For the time being, laying low. It seems the authorities aren't too happy with the Weapons I sell or the less than legal upgrades I provide my customers, so I had to relocate until the heat died down." Slim replied, only to then ask. "And what brings you here?"

"We are here to save Ratchet. He is being controlled by Dr. Nefarious." Clank explained in reply.

"That explains a lot. I've been following your buddy around and have seen him cause a path of absolute destruction. While that seemed normal, I noticed he discarded most of the Weapons he used after he was done with them, so I decided to 'liberate' them before they were confiscated by the Galactic Rangers." Slim replied.

"Listen, perhaps we can make a deal? I was planning on reselling them, but since you and Ratchet have been such great customers, consider them a gift." He then said, causing the port beneath to open up, revealing several of Ratchet's Weapons.

"Thank you, Mr. Cognito. That is most generous of you. Is there anything we can do to repay you?" Clank asked.

"Just save your friend." Slim replied, only to then add. "Then tell him to come and find me, I've got a whole new shipment of Weapons I know he'll love to get his hands on, for the right price that is."

With Ratchet's arsenal now under the use of the Q-Force, they knew they had what it took to defeat Dr. Nefarious, his army of robotic henchmen and save Ratchet, to which they wasted no time in making their presence clear as they blasted down the doors, alerting all the troops and engaging them in a massive clash of gunfire, lasers and explosions.

-Moments later-

After fighting their way through the base, destroying Dr. Nefarious' army, the Q-Force soon arrived to a massive door, which they guessed was where the mechanical mastermind was waiting for them.

After Qwark used the Peacemaker, blasting the door open, he and the others charged inside to see Dr. Nefarious, sitting upon a throne, while Lawrence stood by his side.

However, there was no sign of Ratchet.

"Alright Nefarious, the game's over." Captain Qwark stated, before he demanded. "Now give us the location of Ratchet."

In response to Captain Qwark's threat, Dr. Nefarious simply smirked before he pointed up, revealing Ratchet was clinging to the roof with his Magneboots.

Releasing the magnetic pull of the Magneboots, Ratchet suddenly shot down at the Q-Force, as his right hand was encased in the Walloper, which he used to strike Captain Qwark in the chest, knocking him back several feet.

"Kwak mok!" Skrunch called out in concern for his friend, before lunging at the Lombax in anger.

However as Skrunch leapt at Ratchet, the Lombax turned around, revealing he had discarded the Walloper and now wielded the Suck Cannon, creating a powerful torrent of wind that Skrunch was unable to escape from and was sucked into the weapon.

With the Suck Cannon now loaded, Ratchet turned his focus upon the biggest threat that remained in the Q-Force, Helga von Streissenburgen.

Pulling the trigger, Ratchet fired the cycloptic monkey from the Suck Cannon directly at Helga, knocking her down and leaving Clank, Sasha, Skid and Al to fight the fallen hero.

That was until Ratchet dropped the Suck Cannon, suddenly switched to the Mag-Net Launcher and unleashed a cluster of ionized Raritanium orbs that formed an electromagnetic net around Skid and Al, trapping the pair inside.

"Bummer, dude." Skid said at his predicament.

"Two for the price of one! Brilliant!" Dr. Nefarious cheered; loving how fast the Q-Force was falling apart.

"Now finish them." The mechanical mastermind then ordered.

With Skid and Al trapped, Ratchet, following Dr. Nefarious' commands, withdrew his OmniWrench and approached them, ready to destroy those he once called his friends.

However, Ratchet stopped when several energy bolts hit him, making the Lombax turn to see Sasha, holding up her Blaster at him.

Changing his target, Ratchet ran at Sasha, who tried to fend him off with several more blasts, which hit him, but didn't seem to faze him, before Sasha was then slammed against the wall, locked in place as the OmniWrench was embedded in the wall and had a tight grip around Sasha's throat.

Applying pressure to his weapon, Sasha began to gasp as she felt her air supply being cut off.

"Ratchet, you must stop this! The Ratchet I know would never perform such terrible actions. Please fight it!" She managed to say, but continued to attack her.

However, Ratchet then stopped, not because Sasha had finally reached him, but from Clank, who had used the BGAMD to strike Ratchet with a banana.

"I've had enough of your meddling." Dr. Nefarious then said, before he commanded. "Forget the squishy for now and destroy him!"

Obeying Dr. Nefarious, Ratchet removed his Omni-Wrench from the wall, causing Sasha to fall and gasp for air, before the Lombax turned to Clank and began to swing it violently, trying to lay a hit on his best friend and smash him to pieces.

Dodging his Wrench strikes, Clank then noticed that the armour has the same design as Ratchet's old armour, giving him an idea on how to stop Ratchet.

Sliding through Ratchet's legs, Clank quickly jumped onto him and attached himself to Ratchet's back, to which the manipulated hero tried to remove him, but found Clank was locked in place.

"What are you doing? Get off my servant!" Dr. Nefarious yelled, confused as to what Clank was up to.

"Ratchet, please forgive me for this." Clank said, before retracting his arms and legs, replacing them with a set of wings and a combustion chamber, to which he then fired up his Thruster-Pack and launched into the air at great speed.

Unable to remove Clank from his back in time, Ratchet was slammed painfully against the roof, creating an ideation, as Ratchet's head made contact with the roof.

And while Clank slowly made his way back down, Ratchet collapsed onto his chest, knocked out.

Seeing Ratchet just lying on his stomach, as well as the Q-Force recovering from the manipulated hero's assault, Dr. Nefarious yelled at him. "Get up! I gave you an order, now get up!"

With Ratchet out cold, Dr. Nefarious let out a loud and annoyed sigh, before commenting. "Looks like if you want something done right, do it yourself."

"Lawrence!" He then shouted, causing the butler to let out another sigh of regret, before reaching behind Dr. Nefarious' seat and pulling out what looked like a modified version of the Predator Launcher.

"Say your final goodbyes because I'm sending you all on a one way trip to oblivion!" Dr. Nefarious exclaimed, before laughing wickedly.

"As soon as the weapon is charged, sir." Lawrence informed him.

Knowing he had little time before the missiles had their sights locked on him, Captain Qwark, Sasha, Skrunch, Skid, Al and Helga, Clank knew he had to act quickly to stop Lawrence from destroying them.

"What would Ratchet do?" Clank though aloud, before an idea popped into his mind when he noticed the array of Ratchet's discarded weapons sprawled across the floor, most noticeably the Suck Cannon.

"Captain Qwark!"

Hearing Clank call out his name, he faced Clank and saw the Suck Cannon being thrown at him.

Catching it, Qwark then looked at Clank, who nodded, making him nod in understanding, before he pulled the trigger, sucking Clank into the weapon.

With the Suck Cannon loaded, Captain Qwark pulled the trigger again and launched Clank right at Lawrence, who was unable to avoid the strike, to which Clank slammed himself as hard as he could into Lawrence's stomach, knocking him down, and causing him to accidently fire the Predator Launcher, which unleashed a barrage of missiles at the roof, causing chunks of debris to rain down.

"No!" Dr. Nefarious yelled out, furious that Clank had interfered again with his plans.

Grabbing Clank tightly, Dr. Nefarious stated in a tone full of aggression. "You might have stopped Lawrence, but nobody will stop me from tearing you to pieces!"

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." Clank commented in reply, as he looked up for a second, which confused the mechanical mastermind, but received his answer as a chunk of the roof came down and smashed Dr. Nefarious' head, causing him to let go of Clank, as his face and body froze up from the impact and interference, before another episode of Lance and Janice began to play through Dr. Nefarious' head.

"Can't you feel it Janice, it's my love for you! It's growing like a balloon! Only the balloon is my heart and the air is the symbol of said love I hold for you. That and the blood which pools through my heart to keep me from dying."

As Dr. Nefarious remained in his frozen state, Clank had retrieved the BPM and was trying to his hardest to find a way to reverse its effects on Ratchet.

Curious, Skid called out. "What seems to be the delay, little dude?"  
"Dr. Nefarious has placed a Trimetric Helix lock and a level five-omega class key encryption voice code on his device. I cannot overwrite it." Clank explained in reply.

"Then how can we reverse its effects on Ratchet?" Sasha then asked in concern for Ratchet.

"We cannot." Clank informed her, before turning his focus on Dr. Nefarious and saying. "But I do have an idea."

Aiming the BPM at Dr. Nefarious, Clank fired a blast of energy from the weapon, which consumed Dr. Nefarious' form.

As the light died down, Dr. Nefarious groaned out as he came to.

"Ugh... I have such a headache..." Dr. Nefarious groaned, rubbing his head with his right hand, but doing so, something felt quite different when his hand had made contact with his cranium.

Opening his eyes and looking at his hands, Dr. Nefarious was left in a state of shock to see gray skin covered by torn gloves, as well as gray skin that was covered in the remains of the outfit he wore during his first encounter with Captain Qwark.

"No! Reduced to a squishy! Ahhh! I'll never get over this!" Dr. Nefarious sulked.

But Dr. Nefarious was then broken from his misery when he heard Ratchet groaning, making him look up to see the manipulated hero getting back up.

Smirking, Dr. Nefarious stated. "I might have lost my body, but I still have Ratchet at my disposal."

"Now, my robotic servant, go and destroy Clank and the rest of his friends!" He then commanded.

However, after Ratchet got back to his feet, he withdrew Plasma Whip and lashed out with it.

Only he tried to hit Dr. Nefarious.

"What are you doing?" Dr. Nefarious questioned, before Ratchet tried to strike him again, making him jump back and then yell at the Lombax. "I told you to destroy them!"

"I am following the commands of Dr. Nefarious, I must terminate all squishies." Ratchet replied, continuing to attack with his Plasma Whip.

"You imbecile, I am Dr. Nefarious! I am your master!" Dr. Nefarious cried out as Ratchet continued to attack him.

"Lawrence!" Dr. Nefarious called out. "Annihilate Ratchet this instant!"

"I'm afraid I cannot, as I have no other weapons, sir." Lawrence said in reply, before commenting, teasing his boss. "And you know us robots, we must follow our programming."

"Lawrence!"

As Ratchet continued pursuing his new target, lashing at him, Clank spoke up.

"Dr. Nefarious, I will make you a deal. You give me full access to the BPM and I will use it to stop Ratchet." He told him.

"Never!" Dr. Nefarious said back as he continued to flee from Ratchet and his Plasma Whip.

But Dr. Nefarious quickly changed his answer when Ratchet lashed at him again, striking the mad doctor with the Plasma Whip.

"Fine!" He cried out, before saying. "Dr. Nefarious. Input code 9-3-20-12-16. Command Code: Release."

From the BPM, a female voice said in response. "Voice recognition accepted. Awaiting modifications of Biobliterator Portable Mode."

With complete access over the BPM, Clank began to hack into the BPM's mainframe and began to rewrite its programming.

"Let's see... If I rewire the Alpha 5 and Alpha 6 cables to the second generator grid... Cross the biometric server and reverse the polarity of the fluxuation helix... " Clank thought aloud as he worked his way on re programming the BPM.

"Anytime now!" Dr. Nefarious interrupted, making Clank look up to see Dr. Nefarious, on his back, while Ratchet was standing before him, holding his OmniWrench over his head.

Even though it was Dr. Nefarious, known in several galaxies as one of the most evil geniuses around, Clank knew he had to stop Ratchet from doing something a respectable superhero would regret for the rest of his life, making him focus back upon the BPM and finish his work on reprogramming it.

"Got it!" Clank then called out as he held the BPM out, which then unleashed a massive surge of energy that consumed the area around Ratchet and Dr. Nefarious.

With the great amount of power released, the BPM was unable to maintain itself and exploded in Clank's hands, making him flinch and drop the now destroyed weapon.

But the BPM no longer mattered to Clank, when he heard Sasha call out. "Look!"

Looking up, Clank saw Ratchet had stopped his attack.

And looking closer, Clank smiled; as he could see Ratchet's tail and ears were no longer encased in metal.

He was back to his old Lombax self.

However, Ratchet looked like he was struggling to stay on his feet.

His body had gone through quite a lot and then gave out, to which he then dropped his OmniWrench and began to collapse.

But before landing upon the ground, he was caught by Captain Qwark and Sasha.

"I've got ya." Qwark said as he and Sasha helped Ratchet back to his feet.

Looking up, allowing Qwark and Sasha to see Ratchet smiling at them, the heroic Lombax then said. "Thank you, Qwark. Thank you, Sasha."

"You're welcome." Sasha said in reply, before she embraced Ratchet and told him. "I'm glad to have you back."

While Captain Qwark stepped back, giving the Lombax and Cazar some room, Ratchet then wrapped his right arm around Sasha, holding her close.

"Glad to be back." He replied.

Breaking from his embrace with Sasha, Ratchet faced Qwark and the other members of the Q-Force, all smiling, which made Ratchet smile back, before he looked down at Clank, knelt before his best friend and hugged him.

"Thanks, pal." Ratchet said in a grateful tone.

Clank said nothing as he just smiled and hugged Ratchet back; glad to have his best friend back to normal and free from Dr. Nefarious' control.

However, the celebration of Ratchet's freedom was cut when they heard Dr. Nefarious clapping slowly and sarcastically.

Turning around, Ratchet, Clank and the others saw Lawrence and Dr. Nefarious, who was no longer a squishy like them, but was back to being the evil mechanical genius that still wanted galactic domination and revenge against Ratchet and Clank.

"Very good. But you still lose." Dr. Nefarious commented.

"Guess again." Ratchet said back as he picked up his OmniWrench and told the mechanical mastermind. "Dr. Nefarious, the game is now officially over. So give yourself up and I may go easy on you."

"That's what you think. I still have one final surprise for all of you." Dr. Nefarious replied as a dark smirk appeared on his face, before Lawrence withdrew a remote.

Unsure what it controlled, Ratchet and the others then found out as Lawrence pressed the single button on the remote, causing alarms to blare, while lights began to flash red throughout the factory.

"Base self destruct in two minutes." The same female voice of the BPM informed everyone. "All remaining personal evacuate the area. Those who are enemies of Dr. Nefarious, please stay where you are."

"Since I lost my super weapon, I'll just destroy you, along with the rest of your friends!" Dr. Nefarious stated, before laughing maniacally.

"So long suckers!"

With Dr. Nefarious finishing his evil laugh, Lawrence teleported himself and his boss out of the base, leaving the heroes inside the crumbling facility, which was to become their final resting place if they didn't leave, and fast.


	6. Mission Complete

As the alarm continued to blare, the lights continued to flash red and the clock counted down their destruction, Ratchet took charge.

"Come on! This place isn't going to last much longer! We have to get outta here!" The Lombax called out as he rushed over to the door that the Q-Force had busted down.

But not before grabbing Clank's left arm and hoisting him over his back, reuniting the duo.

With no objections, the Q-Force followed Ratchet and Clank, making their way out of Dr. Nefarious' room and back into the factory, where they all could see the destruction of the facility had begun.

"Time is not on our side. We must hurry." Clank said, making Ratchet nod in reply as he and the others continued to run.

With haste, Ratchet, Clank and the others continued to make their way down the halls, avoiding the blasts from both the facility beginning to exploded and the remaining Nefarious' troops who had stayed and tried a final to eliminate the enemies of their creator.

Eventually arriving to the exit, the group were forced to stop, for the exit was blocked by a legion of Protomantis troops.

Curious, Sasha whispered. "Any ideas, Captain?"

"Just one." Qwark confidently replied, only to fall to his knees and cry.

"Please don't kill me. My life is too valuable. Please!" He begged, causing the Protomantis troops to look at one another, confused for a moment, before turning back and showing they had no mercy, as they all aimed their machinegun arms at Qwark, making him shriek.

But before a single Protomantis troop could fire a single blast, a barrage of missiles and bullets rained down upon them, destroying every last henchmen of Dr. Nefarious and clearing the path, confusing Qwark and the others, until they turned and saw that Ratchet was wielding the R.Y.N.O-V, which the Lombax brought up to his head and blew the smoke emitting from the barrel.

"Awesome work, Ratchet-dude!" Skid commented; glad Ratchet was still packing an amazing amount of firepower.

However...

"Base self destruct in thirty seconds. I pity those still inside." The female voice of warning then informed, causing Ratchet and the others to run past the destruction that the heroic Lombax had unleashed, to the outside, where Ratchet, Clank and the Q-Force quickly boarded the Starfighters and took off.

And just in time, as the countdown then came to an end, causing the remains of the facility to explode in a massive blast, destroying everything in the vicinity, excluding the Starfighters and the heroes and heroines inside, that narrowly cheated death once again.

From the first Starfighter, consisting of Qwark, Skrunch, Al, Helga and Skid, Qwark commented as he piloted the ship out of Magmos' airspace. "I'd say that's another mission complete. Ratchet saved, Nefarious beaten and looking good while doing it."

"Mk-kwak mok K-kwak!" Skrunch replied, sounding to be in agreement with Qwark, while, in the backseats, Al, Helga and Skid nodded.

"And what about you guys? What do you think?" Qwark questioned, turning his attention to the second Starfighter, which was being piloted by Ratchet.

"I couldn't agree more." Ratchet replied with a smile and in a sincere and grateful tone. "Thank you guys, for not giving up on me."

"No problem." Sasha replied, speaking on behalf of the rest of the Q-Force, before acting on her own as she grabbed the Lombax's face, pulled his head over to hers', where she then kissed him, making Ratchet and Clank go wide eyed at Sasha's actions.

And realizing what she did, Sasha broke from the kiss, blushing as she said. "Sorry about that... it's just... well, I'm glad to have you back."

"It's good to be back." Ratchet replied; smiling at Sasha and making the Cazar smile back.

"Indeed." Clank spoke up.

And though he too was glad to see Ratchet back to normal, Clank had to say. "However, while I am in agreement with Sasha, I am curious as to why you did not use such your R.Y.N.O to combat us while you were under Dr. Nefarious' influence."

"Because I couldn't." Ratchet replied, confusing Clank and Sasha a little, until he explained. "Even with Nefarious controlling me, there was still part of me that could never turn my back on you guys. Nefarious may've corrupted and mechanized my brain and body, but not all of my heart."

"That is good to know." Clank replied with a smile, glad that within Ratchet was a shred of him that could never change, before he had to ask. "So, do you think that is the last we'll see of Dr. Nefarious?"

"I doubt it." Ratchet replied, but just smiled as he added. "But whatever he throws at us, we'll be ready."

-Meanwhile-

In another hidden base, Dr. Nefarious was in a lab, his fingers tinting as he watched a little Holo-Vision, where the image of Darla Gratch came onto the screen and was addressing the citizens of Solana of the latest news.

"This is Darla Gratch, reporting from Planet Magmos, where we have learnt the truth of the curious case of Ratchet going rogue. From these remains was a facility that Dr. Nefarious used to kidnap and turn the hero of the Solana Galaxy into a robot, the cause for his attack upon Blackwater City."

"It was only thanks to the Q-Force, lead by Captain Qwark, that Ratchet was restored to his organic state and proven innocent. Since then, all charges against the Lombax have been dropped and all have welcomed him back in their hearts." Darla then said, as the image on the Holo-Vision changed to Marcadia, where President Phyronix was shaking hands with the Lombax, while Clank, Sasha, the Q-Force and the many citizens of the planet were clapping and cheering to have their hero back on the side of good.

"Darla Gratch, Channel 64 News." She ended, just before Dr. Nefarious threw the remote at the Holo-Vision, into the screen and destroying it, showing his anger.

"Something bothering you, sir?" Lawrence asked, stoically as he swept up the shards of the now damaged Holo-Vision with a dustpan.

"I was so close to destroying them!" Dr. Nefarious replied, holding his fingers inches from the other, before clasping down and clenching his hand into a fist.

"But the next time we met, I swear I will have my vengeance! On this pathetic galaxy, on Ratchet and especially on Qwar...!" He began to yell, only for his face and body to freeze up, the gears in his head to jam, before another episode of Lance and Janice began to play through his damaged head, making Lawrence sigh.

"We really need to get that fixed." He commented, dropping the dustpan and taking a seat as he began listening to the episode.

"Eventually."

.

.

.

The End.


End file.
